Ashly Brady

And with that, the 2023 season comes to an end…

It’s January 1st, and I find myself on the couch, charmed by the 2023 recaps on TikTok—which, by the way, I absolutely love. Witnessing the moments that shaped someone else’s year brings me joy. It got me thinking that a 2023 recap and reflection would be the perfect way to restart the blog.

As usual, at the beginning of the year, I set goals. However, it typically results in me forgetting them two weeks in and going with the flow. Disclaimer: there is nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2023, I felt hopeful about setting and achieving goals. I had significant milestones to look forward to—finishing graduate school and Carson and I were serious about buying a house after I finished school. We successfully accomplished both. I completed school in September, and within a month, we were settled into our very first home!

I have to say, the first-time home-buying process is not as intimidating as people make it out to be. The more intimidating part of the entire homeownership journey is furnishing and decorating your home. So many decisions and so many things to buy, especially when you move in with nothing. However, everyone told me, and I wholeheartedly agree, that there is no rush to make your house a home. It takes time to get there.

Another amazing thing that happened this year, which I had absolutely no idea would occur, was getting engaged. I always assumed a proposal wouldn’t happen until after we bought a house, so it wasn’t on my 2023 radar. However, Carson saw the perfect opportunity while we were away for the weekend at the beach with friends, and it turned out amazing.

Traveling wasn’t something I did too much of this year, but in the spring, I went to Hawaii with my family to honor my brother. It was special because we returned to the resort where my family stayed during our very first trip to Hawaii when I was in 8th grade. The other trip I took was to Arizona, another meaningful trip, spending the week with the kids I used to nanny when I lived there. It was great to spend time with them and their grandparents. I’m always amazed at how quickly children grow up. It’s like they go from toddler to preteen in the blink of an eye.

The one thing that I got into this year but didn’t quite hit the mark I was hoping for was reading. I set a goal of reading twelve books this year, and I was close—I read eleven and a few chapters in a couple of other books. I guess that counts as twelve books, maybe. But I did figure out that I enjoy reading, and it doesn’t have to be boring. I just need to remember not to take breaks between books; otherwise, I’ll keep coming up short every year on the number of books I want to read. Something about taking a few days in between books makes it hard for me to get back into reading.

I had many other small moments throughout the year, such as surfing this summer, paint nights, work retreats, beach trips, a couple of nights out, visiting my grandma, and camping, which were all a vibe in their unique ways. I hope to experience these things and more in 2024. 2023 has been good to me, and I look forward to what 2024 has in store. 

Until next time!

Ashly Brady